Ricardo A Ojeda

Ricardo A Ojeda
Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de zonas Aridas,IADIZA-CONICET, National Scientific and Technical Research Council · Graduate courses/Cursos Avanzados CCT Mendoza

Ph.D. Biology; Univ Pittsburgh

About

274
Publications
95,232
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Introduction
I am interested in the evolution, distribution, and ecology of mammals. My research has focused on the ecology and ecological biogeography of mammals of the Monte Desert, the Andean Cordillera, and the subtropical Yungas forest. Our research with students and colleagues explores various aspects of desert adaptations, community ecology, patterns of diversity at various scales, habitat utilization, niche segregation, biogeographical ecology, integrative taxonomy, and conservation biology,
Additional affiliations
July 2023 - July 2027
The International Federation of Mammalogists IFM
Position
  • CEO
Description
  • https://internationalmammalogy.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/197157050399156/
July 2021 - September 2023
INSTITUTO ARGENTINO DE INVESTIGACIONES DE ZONAS ARIDAS (IADIZA), National Scientific and Technical Research Council
Position
  • Principal Investigator
Description
  • https://www.mendoza.conicet.gov.ar/iadiza/laboratorio-de-filogeografia-taxonomia-integrativa-y-ecologia-lftie/ https://lftieiadiza.wixsite.com/lftie
January 2000 - present
Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Aridas (IADIZA - CONICET)
Position
  • Biogeography and ecology of aridland mammals; Biogeographical and ecological diversification of Neotropical rodents; Ecology of invasive mammals
Description
  • Our research group conducts a wide range of studies on ecology, biogeography, ecophysiology, systematics,phylogeography and conservation of vertebrates. Our research is focused on semiarid shrublands, mountain and humid forest ecosystems.
Education
September 1979 - July 1985
University of Pittsburgh Life Sciences Dept Ecology and Evolution
Field of study
  • Ecology
March 1969 - June 1974
National University of Tucuman
Field of study
  • Zoology

Publications

Publications (274)
Conference Paper
Full-text available
En esta presentación busco ilustrar y reforzar el concepto de biodiversidad integradora, compuesta por las dimensiones linneanas, wallaceanas y grinnellianas, y sus implicancias en investigaciones fundamentales básicas de la historia natural de las especies de mamíferos, como en la faz de aplicación a la conservación. En el marco de caracterización...
Article
Environmental heterogeneity shapes the traits of natural populations, including space use and burrowing behavior. We studied the red viscacha rat ( Tympanoctomys barrerae ), a semifossorial rodent with patchy distribution in drylands of west‐central Argentina, to provide ecological data on habitat and burrow features of this specialist species. We...
Article
The Andes are known to be one of the most species-rich regions on Earth, with their origination promoting formation of new habitats and acting as climatic barriers. This orogenic event was structured latitudinally with 3 major segments having different formation times and with different environmental and historical conditions. The Andean region has...
Article
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Rodentia has a high species number and chromosomal variability. The South American genus Akodon is one of the most speciose muroids, with more than 40 species included in several species groups. Here, we characterize cytogenetically specimens of Akodon from central-western Argentina. Subsequently, we reviewed and analyzed the cytogenetic data for t...
Article
Full-text available
Natural history museums are vital repositories of specimens, samples and data that inform about the natural world; this Formal Comment revisits a Perspective that advocated for the adoption of compassionate collection practices, querying whether it will ever be possible to completely do away with whole animal specimen collection.
Article
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The Argentinian Ministry of Environment has approved the translocation of 45 guanacos from Southern Patagonia to the Pampas region, a distance of 1500 km, as the initial phase toward future translocations into a National Park located in the Chaco region, another 1600 km further North. This decision raises concerns about the technical and ethical as...
Article
‘Rewilding’ is a nature conservation strategy gaining prominence worldwide. Established in the Northern Hemisphere, rewilding initiatives have increasingly been proposed in Argentina, but their relative merits, feasibility of implementation and accountability have lacked adequate analysis and discussion. Recently, 125 scientists and practitioners w...
Article
Full-text available
The European rabbit plays a major role in seed dispersal in its native environment. We evaluated its ecological interactions with plants through the dispersal of seeds by endozoochory in two invaded arid ecotones of Argentina. We found 855 whole seeds in 1283 fecal pellets, belonging to one non-native (Sesuvium portulacastrum) and five native plant...
Article
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The European rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus is an exotic herbivorous mammal undergoing an active phase of geographical expansion in the arid ecosystems of Argentina. The Adaptive Flexibility Hypothesis states that populations at the range edge (new populations) will exhibit greater flexibility in the use of resources compared with populations located...
Article
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En los últimos años se han desarrollado en Argentina distintas intervenciones relacionadas con el rewilding (o re-asilvestramiento), abarcando una variedad de especies (e.g., grandes carnívoros, ungulados, psitácidos) y ecorregiones (e.g., Chaco Húmedo y Seco, Estepa Patagónica). El reasilvestramiento es definido como una estrategia aplicada en el...
Chapter
Full-text available
Species that experience range expansions, high population growth and negative social or ecological impacts in a non-native location due to human actions are defined as both introduced and invasive. In particular, introduced invasive mammals (IIM) are more harmful than other vertebrates, and their social-cultural interactions are especially strong....
Chapter
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The Neotropical Region is one of the major biogeographic divisions for both plants and animals on Earth. It spans from central Mexico and the Caribbean islands to southern South America. The Neotropical Region contains the largest number of mammal species in the New World, the second-highest number of mammal species on the planet, and is the region...
Book
Introduced invasive species are a major driver of local to global environmental change, including important negative impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem processes, economies, health and other social values. At the same time, however, different social actors can hold diverse representations of these species, particularly of introduced invasive mammal...
Article
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RED LIST ASSESSMENT OF THE MAMMALS OF ARGENTINA 2019: SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS OF THREATS. Assessing the extinction risk of species has become an important decision tool for the implementation of species conservation policies. In this work we summarize the result of the latest oficial categorization of the mammals of Argentina with emphasis on the thre...
Article
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En 2021, Jayat et al. propusimos una nueva especie de roedor sigmodontino, nombrada Phyllotis pehuenche, para las poblaciones del complejo de especies de Phyllotis xanthopygus del sudoeste de la provincia de Mendoza y el oeste de la provincia de Neuquén, Argentina. La descripción formal de la especie, publicada en un material suplementario electrón...
Article
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Based on previously published molecular (mitochondrial) and herein provided morphological (qualitative and quantitative data) evidence, we describe a new species of leaf-eared mouse of the genus Phyllotis. The new species is morphometrically distinct when compared with other phylogenetically or geographically close species of Phyllotis, showing sev...
Article
Rodents are an important component of South America fauna. Their high diversity has motivated researchers to continually review their taxonomy, genetic diversity, species limits, and phylogenetic relationships. We apply DNA‐barcodes for assessing the taxonomic and genetic diversity in the two major lineages of South American rodents: caviomorphs an...
Article
Full-text available
The coexistence of ecologically similar species is facilitated by differential use of resources along habitat, diet, and/or temporal niche axes. We used feces of non-native rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), hare (Lepus europaeus), goat (Capra hircus), and the native plains viscacha (Lagostomus maximus) to compare the utilization of spatial and trophi...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The coexistence of ecologically similar species is facilitated by differential use of niche axes (i.e. habitat, diet, and temporal gradients). Like in many other arid regions, mammal assemblages in arid Argentina are composed by native and nonnative medium-sized herbivores such as European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and the native plains viscac...
Article
Phyllotis Waterhouse 1837 is one of the most studied genera of South American cricetid rodents. As currently understood, it includes 20 small to medium-sized species of predominantly rocky habitats. Among them, populations of the yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse, traditionally referred to P. xanthopygus (Waterhouse 1837), are the most widely distribu...
Chapter
About 2.6% of extant terrestrial mammals are “successful invaders.” These include the artiodactyls (pigs, camels, deer, cattle, sheep, goats, and antelope), carnivores (canids, bears, mustelids, and cats), lagomorphs (rabbits and hares), and perissodactyls (equines). In particular, the large ungulates (artiodactyls and perissodactyls) represent the...
Chapter
The European wild rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, is simultaneously a threatened species within its native range and yet, a successful colonizer worldwide (Lees and Bell 2008). The European rabbit is native to the Iberian Peninsula, south of France and north of Africa. In the Iberian Peninsula, its populations have undergone a massive decline during...
Article
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The genus Euneomys is mostly distributed in the open environments of the central and southern Andes, adjacent Patagonian steppes of Argentina and Chile, and in several islands of the Tierra del Fuego Archipelago. This genus includes three living species: Euneomys chinchilloides, Euneomys fossor, and Euneomys mordax. Euneomys fossor is a poorly know...
Article
The leaf-eared mouse, Phyllotis xanthopygus (Waterhouse 1837) is a widely distributed sigmodontine rodent in South America, with populations ranging from central Peru to southern Argentina and Chile. Previous morphological and molecular contributions have suggested that P. xanthopygus represents a species complex. In order to characterize and discl...
Poster
Full-text available
Objectives Materials and Methods Results • To quantify habitat use, movements and spatial distribution of the red viscacha rat H1: Burrow characteristics and densities would be affected by distribution and physical features of the habitat H2: Space use of the species is associated with habitat heterogeneity and sex H3: Spatial distribution of the b...
Article
Beta diversity in ecological communities can reflect adaptations of species to differences in climate, environmental characteristics and site history, as well as local ecological dynamics. These dissimilarities among communities may reflect different processes as species replacement and richness difference or nestedness, which can be generated by d...
Article
Male-only obligate semelparity is a well-studied reproductive strategy in some Australian marsupials. This strategy has not been documented in South American species, although semelparity in both sexes occurs in some Neotropical didelphids. The fat-tailed mouse opossum, Thylamys bruchi, is an endemic species of the temperate Monte Desert, in Argent...
Article
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En la región de Cuyo, la ganadería es la principal actividad productiva de secano y mostró un marcado aumento en los últimos 30 años. La pérdida de la biodiversidad asociada a la degradación por sobre-pastoreo merece especial atención por sus consecuencias sobre el funcionamiento del ecosistema. En el desierto del monte central, el pastoreo continu...
Article
Viscacha rats (genus Tympanoctomys Yepes, 1942) are ecologically, physiologically, and behaviorally unusual octodontid rodents endemic to the Monte and Patagonian desert biomes of Argentina. The geographic ranges of the different species of Tympanoctomys have been described in general terms but have not been associated with spatial and climate data...
Article
Full-text available
The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is considered an ecosystem engineer. It roots up the ground looking for forage, generating patches of different sizes and without vegetation. Studies of wild boar's impact on vegetation can be addressed in two contrasting ways: short-term effects (immediately after boar's disturbance) and long-term effects. Short-term stu...
Article
Full-text available
Herbivore and plant invasions can modify the structure and functioning of ecosystems through positive interactions that facilitate their mutual establishment. An important consequence of the feeding behaviour of rabbits is that they can play a key role in seed dispersal by endozoochory. We examined the diet and potential for dispersing Rosa rubigin...
Article
Full-text available
The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is considered an ecosystem engineer. It roots up the ground looking for forage, generating patches of different sizes and without vegetation. Studies of wild boar’s impact on vegetation can be addressed in two contrasting ways: short-term effects (immediately after boar’s disturbance) and long-term effects. Short-term stu...
Article
Rodents are a very diverse group with large chromosome variability. One of the most species rich linage in the Neotropics is the Sigmodontinae. Among them, the tribe Abrotrichini was recently defined and its taxonomy and phylogeny were mostly elucidated through molecular and morphological evidence. Meanwhile, chromosome data were only secondarily u...
Article
Akodon oenos, a nominal form with type locality in northern Mendoza province, Argentina, has an intricate taxonomic history. Recently, it was considered a junior synonym of Akodon spegazzinii on the basis of morphological similarities of one individual captured in southern Mendoza with specimens belonging to the type series of A. oenos, plus the ge...
Conference Paper
En esta actividad, se propone una discusión bajo la modalidad de mesa redonda donde los autores recorrerán sucintamente distintos aspectos de lo acontecido desde Diciembre de 2015 hasta la fecha en materia de investigación, desarrollo, innovación tecnológica y otros aspectos relacionados con nuestro sector y su articulación con el mundo productivo...
Chapter
South American alpine environments are home to 200 mammal species, among them 19% can be considered restricted or endemic to the region. Also, almost 20% of the species have conservation concerns, while 15% lack sufficient conservation data. Rodents, bats and carnivores represent most of the mammal species of the alpine region, whereas some of thes...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
El conejo europeo es un mamífero exótico invasor en fase activa de dispersión geográfica en la provincia de Mendoza. Es un herbívoro generalista con gran plasticidad para seleccionar el alimento, ajustándose a la disponibilidad de recursos de acuerdo al hábitat y la estación del año. Las zonas áridas se caracterizan por la baja productividad en el...
Article
The leaf-eared mice of the genus Phyllotis (Cricetidae, Phyllotini) encompasses at least 20 species of medium-sized Neo-tropical rodents mostly distributed throughout the Andean region. Its limits and contents were reviewed by several au-thors, based both on morphological and molecular data. However, no integrative approaches were conducted based o...
Conference Paper
La organización espacial y utilización de hábitats por las especies son temas centrales en ecología. En esta revisión se analiza la distribución espacial a diferentes resoluciones de áreas de estudio (multiescala) en 6 familias de roedores subterráneos y semifosoriales de biomas de desierto del continente americano, africano y australiano. Se reali...
Conference Paper
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El conejo europeo es una de las 100 especies exóticas invasoras más dañinas del mundo y se encuentra en fase activa de expansión geográfica en Mendoza. En los ambientes introducidos, el conejo se adapta de manera eficaz y rápida mostrando un gran éxito en la colonización. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar la utilización del hábitat a distinta...
Article
the Andes constitutes an extensive mountain range and a true laboratory for the study of the evolution of South American biota. In recognition to José Yepes, one of the pioneers in characterizing the distribution of mammals of Argentina we seek in this contribution to synthesize, from ecological biogeography, the knowledge we have about the diversi...
Article
Full-text available
This contribution is a tribute to José Yepes on the 75th anniversary of his description of the genus Tympanoctomys, and the 90th anniversary of his admission to the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences “Bernardino Rivadavia”. Viscacha rats are the epitome of South American rodents adapted to desert habitats, and are a true model, not only to presen...
Article
Full-text available
The Andes constitutes an extensive mountain range and a true laboratory for the study of the evolution of South American biota. In recognition to José Yepes, one of the pioneers in characterizing the distribution of mammals of Argentina we seek in this contribution to synthesize, from ecological biogeography, the knowledge we have about the diversi...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
El conejo europeo es un mamífero exótico invasor introducido en Argentina en 1880 con fines alimenticios. En la mayoría de los ambientes donde se introduce se adapta de manera eficaz y rápida mostrando un gran éxito en la colonización. En el sur de Mendoza, se encuentra en fase activa de dispersión o expansión geográfica. El conejo es un herbívoro...
Article
Full-text available
We analyzed the geographic variation in cranial morphology of the Southern Mountain Cavy, Microcavia australis, throughout of its distributional range. Our analysis allows us to recognize three geographically allopatric morphotypes. These morphotypes differ in the general size and shape of the skull and discrete morphological traits of the zygomati...
Article
Land use changes in the South American Gran Chaco affect native fauna and the ecosystem services (ES) they provide. The consequences of defaunation and the empty forest syndrome have been identified in tropical and subtropical forests, including the Gran Chaco. Local knowledge regarding native species and the provision of ES can be integrated with...
Article
Full-text available
The genome of the red vizcacha rat (Rodentia, Octodontidae, Tympanoctomys barrerae) is the largest of all mammals, and about double the size of their close relative, the mountain vizcacha rat Octomys mimax, even though the lineages that gave rise to these species diverged from each other only about 5 Ma. The mechanism for this rapid genome expansio...
Poster
Full-text available
Arid ecosystems represent heterogeneous scenarios, mainly determining the distribution of resources and species. Its heterogeneity reflects different scales for variations in topography, climate, precipitation and vegetation. Faced with habitat fragmentation, is necessary inferring which factors affect small mammals dynamics. Red Viscacha Rat is en...
Article
Full-text available
Eligmodontia is a genus of phyllotine rodents adapted to arid environments with seven recognized species. The sister species E. puerulus and E. moreni are distributed in the adjacent highland Puna and lowland Monte deserts respectively, and show remarkable morphological and chromosomal differences. However, analyses of the cytochrome b gene showed...
Article
Habitat partitioning is considered one of the main mechanisms of coexistence among small mammals. This is especially evident in arid environments where resources are particularly scarce. Habitat characteristics such as vegetation heterogeneity and complexity are expected to increase species coexistence, increasing the number of microhabitats that c...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Ecología evolutiva de roedores del desierto Ojeda, Ricardo A. Grupo de Investigaciones de la Biodiversidad (GiB), IADIZA, CCT- CONICET, Mendoza; rojeda@mendoza-conicet.gob.ar Las tierras áridas han sido el escenario modelo en el desarrollo de numerosos conceptos en evolución, biogeografía, ecología teórica, ecología de comunidades y poblacional,...
Article
Full-text available
Wild boar is an invasive species introduced to Argentina for sport hunting purposes. Here, this species is present in at least 8 phytogeographic provinces but we only have information in four of them (Pampean grassland, Espinal, Subantarctic and Monte Desert). We review the ecological strategies and impact of wild boar on ecosystem processes in the...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
El conejo europeo, un mamífero exótico invasor, se encuentra en activa fase de dispersión geográfica en las provincias de Neuquén y Mendoza. Enfocado desde su ecología trófica es un herbívoro generalista con gran plasticidad para seleccionar el alimento, adaptándose a la disponibilidad de recursos según el ambiente y la estación del año. Además, es...
Conference Paper
Los modelos predictivos de distribución de roedores en paisajes áridos heterogéneos de Argentina es un tema de incipiente desarrollo. Dentro de los octodóntidos, Tympanoctomys es un especialista del desierto, presenta adaptaciones a los ambientes xéricos y distribución restringida y en parches. El objetivo del estudio fue identificar la distribució...
Article
Full-text available
Overgrazing is one of the main drivers of desertification in drylands, and livestock production is expected to increase in the next decades. The analysis of functional diversity can clarify the effects of increasing livestock grazing on ecosystem functioning. We assess the effect of livestock grazing intensity on the relationship between taxonomic...
Article
Sigmodontinae is a group of rodents with a rich and complex diversification in South America. Among them, the tribe Phyllotini comprises at least ten genera and exhibits high chromosome variability. It was proposed that chromosome evolution in mammals is influenced by centromeric meiotic drive (CMD). This mechanism of chromosome transmission genera...
Article
Full-text available
Wild boar is an invasive species introduced to Argentina for sport hunting purposes. Here, this species is present in at least 8 phytogeographic provinces but we only have information in four of them (Pampean grassland, Espinal, Subantarctic and Monte Desert). We review the ecological strategies and impact of wild boar on ecosystem processes in the...
Chapter
Caviomorph rodents were one of the earliest colonizers of the Neotropics and are now conspicuous inhabitants there. The aim of this chapter is to provide a global synthesis of the caviomorphs, their phylogeny, and biogeographical and ecological diversification. We provide a general introduction to the radiation of major clades and phylogenetic rela...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Desde escalas regionales a locales, las tierras áridas sudamericanas muestran una marcada heterogeneidad ambiental y singularidad de los ensambles de mamíferos. Mi presentación busca reflejar los correspondientes marcos teóricos, conceptuales y paradigmas sobre los cuales fuimos construyendo y desarrollando el programa de investigaciones para dar r...
Chapter
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Hystricognath rodents probably arrived from Africa and diversified rapidly into major clades during the Eocene-Early Oligocene. Caviomorph rodents radiated in different directions involving body size, ecomorphological, physiological and behavioral traits which make them convergent to several groups of mammals. The aim of this chapter is to analyze...
Research
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